Daviesia laevis Crisp (1991a: 285)

Crisp, Michael D., Cayzer, Lindy, Chandler, Gregory T. & Cook, Lyn G., 2017, A monograph of Daviesia (Mirbelieae, Faboideae, Fabaceae), Phytotaxa 300 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

53. Daviesia laevis Crisp (1991a: 285) , Crisp (1995: 1206), Jeanes (1996: 758). Type [approximate locality data given because the species is rare]: Victoria, Western Highlands, Grampians, M.D. Crisp 8324 & J. M. Taylor, 28 November 1989. Holotype: CBG; isotypes: AD, BISH, CANB, K, MEL, MO, NSW

[ Daviesia corymbosa Smith (1805: 507) var. laxiflora Willis (1957: 191) , partly, Grampians region only. Daviesia mimosoides Brown (1811: 20) var. laxiflora (J.H.Willis) J.H. Willis (1967: 123) , partly, Grampians region only.]

Slender, open shrubs, 2–4 m tall at maturity, sometimes arborescent, usually with arching branches, glabrous, ± glaucous. Root anatomy unknown. Branchlets ascending to arching, angular-terete. Phyllodes scattered, erect to

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 127 somewhat spreading, rarely reclinate, narrowly elliptic to linear, apically acute to long-acute, flat, entire, tapered towards base and finally contracted to a slight pseudo-petiole 2–10 mm above the articulation, 40–150 × 5–20(–25) mm, secondary venation pinnate, tertiary venation obscure, texture coriaceous. Unit inflorescences racemose, 1–3 per axil, significantly shorter than the phyllodes, with 5–10(–15) evenly spaced flowers; peduncle 2–10(–30) mm long; rachis 20–30, rarely to 80 mm long; barren basal bracts well spaced; subtending bracts widely spreading to reclinate, obovate or narrowly so, tending to spathulate, with strongly incurved margins, stipitate, 2–3 mm long. Flowers scarcely fragrant. Pedicels 1.5–4 mm long. Calyx campanulate, 4.5–5 mm long including the 1.5–1.75 mm receptacle to which it is contracted; upper 2 lobes united into a truncate-rounded, entire or apiculate lip, 1.75–2 mm long; lower 3 lobes uniform, very shallowly triangular, usually tinged with purple at the acuminate tips, 0.5 mm long. Corolla : standard depressed-ovate, emarginate, slightly cordate, 8.5–11 × 9.5–11.5 mm including the ca. 2.5 mm claw, orange-yellow with a dark brownish red infusion surrounding an intensely yellow oblong to bilobed spot at the centre; wings obovate to spathulate, rounded and incurved at the apex, auriculate, 8.5–9.5 × 4–5 mm including the 2.5–3 mm claw, orange-yellow at the tips, infused with brownish red towards the base; keel half transversely elliptic, acute to shortly acuminate, saccate, auriculate, 5.5–6 × 2.5–3 mm including the 2–3 mm claw, dull red. Stamens strongly dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with longer, compressed-terete filaments and compressed, very broadly ovoid, versatile anthers with confluent thecae; outer whorl of 5 with shorter, broader, very compressed filaments and compressed, broadly ellipsoid to discoid, basifixed, 2-celled anthers; filaments free. Pod obliquely shallowly obtriangular, ± acute, strongly compressed, 7–10 × 5–6 mm, straw-coloured to light brown, lustrous, faintly reticulate; upper suture sigmoid; lower suture acute. Seed compressed ovoid, 2.5–3.2 mm long, 1.6–2.1 mm broad, 0.9–1.1 mm thick, red-brown with black mottling; aril oblong in outline with a fleshy distal lobe, 1.4–1.9 mm long. ( Fig. 53 ).

Flowering period:— October and November. Fruiting period: January. Distribution:— Western Victoria, restricted to the Grampians and adjacent ranges, the latter mainly the Mt Cole plateau, east of Ararat. Records from east of Melbourne are probably misidentifications of D. laxiflora or D. mimosoides .

128 • Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

CRISP ET AL.

Habitat:— Very localised in sheltered montane sites, usually in gullies, sometimes among boulders, on sandy or skeletal soils derived from sandstone or granite. Daviesia laevis grows in open forest dominated by eucalypts such as E. obliqua , E. globulus Labillardière (1800 : t. 13) and stringybarks, where it seems to occur most frequently at the margins of tall shrub thickets fringing creeks with Leptospermum , Melaleuca and sedges including Gahnia J.R. & J.G. Forster (1775: 51).

Conservation status:— National: Vulnerable. Vic.: Vulnerable (see detailed assessment by Murphy et al. 2006).

Selected specimens (29 examined):— Approximate locality data given because the species is rare. VICTORIA. Western Highlands : Grampians, E. & A. K . Ashby 227, November 1940 ( AD); L . Banfield s.n., 10 November 1977 ( MEL 77967 ); ibid., 37°00’S, 142°30’E, A. C . Beauglehole 30762, 4 June 1969 ( MEL); ibid., Fisheries and Wildlife Division s.n., 1 November 1974 ( MEL 1563096 ); ibid., D. J . Paton 5, November 1919 ( MEL); ibid., 37°10’S, 142°30’E, D. E . Symon 1787, 3 January 1961 ( AD, K, NE); ibid., 37°10’S, 142°30’E, C. E . & D. T. Woolcock W1906 , 15 November 1984 ( CBG, K, MEL); Mt Cole plateau, 37°20’S, 143°20’E, D. Sullivan 3, 13 January 1877 ( MEL) .

Affinity:— Daviesia laevis is closely related to D. corymbosa , D. latifolia and D. laxiflora . Daviesia corymbosa is distinguished immediately by its corymbose inflorescence and prominently reticulate leaf venation.

Originally, D. laevis was included in D. mimosoides var. laxiflora , which was later raised to species rank ( Crisp 1991a), while D. laevis was simultaneously segregated as a new species. Undoubtedly, these species are closely related, having a similar facies and habitat, and sharing the greatest flower size in the D. latifolia group. However, D. laxiflora is restricted to the ranges east and south of Melbourne and differs in having phyllodes with visibly reticulate tertiary venation, more or less crenate leaf margins, strongly perfumed flowers, longer racemes (rachis usually 35–110 mm long) and most diagnostically, appressed, subulate subtending bracts which are less than 2.5 mm long. The inflorescences of D. laevis are usually shorter than 40 mm (rarely as long as 80 mm; Paton 5), and the subtending bracts are divaricate to reclinate and obovate to spathulate.

Daviesia latifolia has subtending bracts similar to those of D. laevis but is readily distinguished by its prominently reticulate phyllodes with crenate margins and usually longer racemes (rachis 25–150 mm long).

Specimens of D. laevis have often been misidentified as D. mimosoides . While the phyllodes of these species are similar, D. mimosoides can be distinguished by its corymbiform inflorescence with smaller (<2 mm long) appressed subtending bracts and smaller flowers (e.g. standard 5.5–8 mm broad).

Hybrids:— Daviesia laevis × D. leptophylla .

Figures

FIGURE 53. Daviesia laevis. A. Phyllode with axillary inflorescences. B. Flower. C. Calyx opened out, upper lip at left. D. Standard. E. Wings. F. Keel. G. Same, opened out. A from Symon 1787; B–G from Woolcock W1906. Drawn by A.L. Prowse and D. Fortescue. Adapted from Crisp (1991a) with permission from CSIRO Publishing.